The Gift of Time

“How about if I take the boys out this morning, 

and give you some time to do whatever you'd  like?” 

So went Heather’s question to me regarding the upcoming Saturday morning. What a wonderful gift she was offering to me as a busy dad, husband, worker, etc – the gift of some time to do whatever.

Time is an important commodity in our culture. As Michael LeBoeuf, American business guru quipped, “Waste your money and you’re only out of money, but waste your time and you’ve lost a part of your life.” So when Heather asked me that question, it was a no-brainer. Why would I not gratefully receive such a gift from her?

The question I then face is “How would I ‘spend’ that Saturday morning gift, 

that commodity that was now in my piggy bank?

Time is a commodity only because of our limitations as part of God’s creation. We can try to manage it and make the most of it, but ultimately, we are prisoners bound by and within time. We can do nothing to make it stop, slow it down, manipulate it. Time moves ahead minute-by-minute and we are helplessly carried along in it’s current. 

While we are very aware of our limitations regarding time, 

we must remember that God is not. 

Time is the very thing that he created so his redemptive purposes can be carried out. As time rolls along, he actively presents us with opportunities to be transformed into a clearer and cleaner reflection of his image.

So back to my question of how I would spend a half-day of time that is given to me. What would bring me the most joy and recharge my batteries? I have several ideas running through my head that I get pretty excited about. 

How would you spend such a gift? 

When given a block of time like this, we shouldn't feel guilty about doing something we really enjoy, whether creative, productive, or simply taking a nap. God loves seeing us soak up such moments!

But wouldn’t it be a great idea to check in with God and ask him what would be best? 

After all he knows each of us intimately. A quick prayer might be, “God, you know me, all my needs and wants. Here’s what I think I should do, but what do you think is the best way for me to use this gift of time?” And why not bring that kind of question to him everyday? This seems to be what the psalmist expressed in Psalm 90:12, 

“Teach us to number our days, that we might gain a heart of wisdom.”

We may see time as a limitation, but we can also see it as the means by which God carries out his plan. To that end, it is a gift from God. Recording artist, Charlie Peacock, captured this idea well in the first stanza of his song “The Secret of Time”:

Time is a gift of love and grace;

Without time, there’d be no time to change,

Time to be healed, humbled, and broken,

Time to hear the words of love spoken.

Click here to listen to this song.

“Mary!”

Pastor of Worship and Staff, David Dillon

As a seasoned substitute teacher my wife Heather has learned, within five minutes of entering a new classroom, which students' names she needs to know. See, there is power in knowing a person’s name, which is easily observed when a disruptive student hears their name and now knows their cover has been blown and anonymity is no more!

Of course there is a positive side to this too. Knowing a person’s name is honoring to them and often the first step toward a relationship. Hearing your name lovingly spoken by a spouse or parent allows you to rest in the familiar and comfortable place of I belong and I am valued.

In John 20 a broken-hearted Mary unexpectedly hears her name called out by the risen Jesus. Confusion, joy, wonder, and amazement must have simultaneously bombarded her thoughts. Hadn’t she seen him dead on the cross? But now, just as real and palpable as the stone that no longer covers his tomb, she hears, “Mary!” Oswald Chambers notes that she immediately recognized a personal history with the one who spoke. Everything he had done and said to her suddenly became even more true.

Can you recall times when your heart’s ear has heard Jesus call your name? What was that like? What about now - do you hear Him lovingly speak it?

Sometimes, like Mary, I think he speaks our name after a time of silence to surprise us and remind us that we do have a history with Him. During those silent times we can have a well-founded hope of that coming surprise. Other times we may wonder if there is just too much earwax in the way of really hearing him and we doubt his unique love for us. Then there are those times when we experience an ongoing intimate connection with him. In God’s economy, all of these seasons can be used by him to deepen our love for Him.

No matter where you find yourself on the continuum, Scripture assures us of his love for each of us. As the perfect Father, there is nothing that he desires more than to be intimately involved in each of his children’s lives. Isaiah 49:15 puts it like this: “Can a mother forget the baby at her breast and have no compassion on the child she has borne? Though she may forget, I will not forget you!”

Because he knows you by name.

Eyes Wide-Open

Pastor of Worship and Staff, David Dillon

We are very blessed to have many photographers at Centennial with an eye for capturing beauty.  One Saturday morning a couple of weeks ago, eight of them did a morning outing in downtown Denver seeking to capture “Urban Life” with their cameras.

As a place to gather our creative work and let others enjoy it, we created a Flickr group called “Centennial Covenant Photographers” that you can view here http://www.flickr.com/groups/2214230@N20/pool/ Go ahead and look – there’s some beautiful work from that morning from people you probably know!

Our plan is to continue with these outings on a monthly basis through the summer. We have tentatively planned our next outing for Sunday, July 7 shooting downtown at sunset. If you have a love for photography we would welcome you coming along or joining our Flickr group. Just let me know of your interest.

Let’s watch and see where God takes us as our eyes are wide-open to the world around us!

David Brown

Cassie Britain

David Dillon

Brian Hatak

Steve Johnson

Sawdust: An Aroma Holy and Pleasing

“When I make sawdust I feel His pleasure.” 

So would have gone the famous quote by Olympic Gold Medalist Eric Liddell, had he been a woodworker. He wasn’t though; his passion was running, and God met him and he met God through that simple act.

I am not much of a runner, but I do have a lot of passions, and I understand Liddell’s sentiment of communing with God as I engage those passions. Lately, woodworking has had my attention, and specifically, building my first guitar. This project began on April 30 last year. After a long winter hiatus, where my garage/workshop was too cold to be functional, I am nearing completion.

Not only do I hope that this instrument will be a tool for worshiping, but also there have been moments of worship even during its creation. Especially the distinct and pungent smell of walnut being cut by my band saw, or the sheen that I start to see in a highly polished ebony fretboard—these cause me to praise the God who gifted us with senses.

I can’t help but think too about God’s passion for extravagant beauty in worship. Sometime read Exodus 31:1-11. Here you see God giving his Holy Spirit to artists and artisans for the purpose of beautifying the Israelites’ place of worship. I believe this was a beauty not only for the Israelites to enjoy as they worshipped God, but also a beauty that God enjoyed. Art is a communal gift. By the way, this was one of the first recorded instances of God filling someone with his Spirit. Think about the significance of God giving that kind of attention to art and artists!
 So as I stand in a carpet of sawdust in my workshop, I stand in a great line of worshiping artists with a passion for beauty and a passion for God. What about you? What are you passionate about? Can you see those passions as an opportunity for worship?